I am on this journey to living a healthier life while working from home and if you read my last post, then you already know I had a little bit of an issue. Still hanging my head in shame…

BUT…I am very clear that hanging my head won’t ensure I don’t make the same mistake this week. With that said, I shared with you all that my plan is to lean a little more on meal delivery services for help with healthy eating. Not dieting by any means. Just a little help with increasing the number of healthy meals I consume each week.

Many of you already know that I’ve tried a few different services since 2015 to help with meal planning (some healthier than others) and I periodically share my thoughts on social media along with a picture here and there on Instagram.

​Buckle up because I’m about to share all of it right here and right now. The good, the not-so-good, and the ehhhhh… Of course, this is all based on the experience of my family and I’d highly recommend you give each of these a try (when you have a coupon code, of course) because you may love every single one of them.
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But first…

Why have I decided to go down this road with having my groceries boxed up with dry ice and shipped to my door?

Time-Saving
I don’t have the capacity (or interest) to really sit down and put together a meal plan each week from scratch even though I work from home. Yes, there are tools like Pinterest to give you tons of ideas, but that even requires some work including the not-so-targeted trip to Target when you find yourself stuck in the dollar section for an unacceptable amount of time…
Wait one minute! Don’t judge me because I know I’m not alone. :)
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Anyway…meal delivery services save time and take the guesswork out of the nightly question of “what’s for dinner, mommy?”

Waste-Reducing
There are two of us in this house at the moment and having two servings of radishes delivered to you instead of purchasing a whole bag from the grocery store just for for the purposes of your small meal is quite wasteful...especially when you're not a huge fan of radishes. I use this as an example because this happened to me once with radishes and on several other occasions with other ingredients.

With meal delivery services, you receive exactly what you need for each meal and I love it!

Money-Saving
If I’m saving time, then I’m saving money.
If I’m reducing waste, then I’m saving money.
If I’m avoiding a trip to Target, then I’m absolutely saving money!
​On average, the meals are somewhere around $10/person mas o menos. (Yes, I’m still working on my Spanish and like to practice fairly randomly.)

Obligation-Free
I don’t have issues with commitment (hmmmmm....), but I have issues with a lack of flexibility. :) I don’t sign up for programs like this unless they give me the option to cancel at any time. I’m not stuck in a contract and I can skip meals or completely cancel my service at any time.

Okay…here we go with my thoughts…straight with no chaser…

Let’s start with my absolute favorite meal delivery service these days, which is Sun Basket!

My 10yr old and I are in full agreement that this is a winner…winner…chicken dinner! The flavors are absolutely on point and you feel compelled to pay compliments to the chef as you enjoy your home-cooked meal. The ingredients are fresh and the recipes are easy to follow. The price is on the higher end, BUT the ingredients are organic with options to select gluten free, paleo, and vegetarian meals.

For us, it’s totally worth every penny. We’ve prepared meals such as Salmon-Kale Salad with Avocado and Moroccan-spiced almonds (Exquisite) and Greek shrimp with tomatoes, feta, and orzo (Delish)!

​I’ll just let you marinate on those pictures for a second…
​This is one I recommend so much that I’m going to leave this link right HERE for you to get THREE FREE MEALS to try on your own. Please come back here and leave a note in the Comments section to share your thoughts.

Moving on to a close second… *drumroll please*

Home Chef!
I’ve received several deliveries from Home Chef and have NOT been disappointed with any of them. Great flavors and meal choices, but you’ll have to put a little elbow grease into the prep as I find the recipes sometimes require a bit more work than I’d like to do on a weeknight.

Our first delivery from them included Penne Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream (YUM) and Steak Marsala with Parmesan Mash (Heaven)!

We’re expecting a delivery tomorrow and I can’t wait! Stay tuned to Instagram for an update!

Interested in giving it a try? I have a very limited number of free trial options I can share. Shoot me an email and I’ll hook you up on a first-come first-serve basis. All others can go ahead and click HERE to get $30 off your first box!
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Here’s where I work hard to keep this post from being too lengthy. We’ll run through a list of other services I’ve tried and include coupon codes whenever possible so you can check them out for yourself.
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Blue Apron - This was the first service I tried and we really enjoyed it. I received a couple of boxes that contained less-than-fresh herbs, so I moved on to try other services. We still opt for deliveries from BA from time to time, but not as frequently. Similar to Home Chef, I have a very limited number of free trial boxes I can share so email me ASAP if you're interested.

Plated - I tried Plated several months ago, but remember being not-so interested in continuing with the service primarily because of price, but also because I’d fallen in love with another service.

Hello Fresh - I also tried Hello Fresh several months ago and I recall not being wowed, but I don't recall if there was something specific. With that said, find a coupon code and give it a try.
​Terra’s Kitchen - I recently tried this service and it is super healthy and super clean, which also means it’s on the pricier side of the scale. I wasn’t as wowed by the flavors, but I was intrigued by the packaging. I LOVED the fact that some of the prep was already done for you, which proved to be a huge time-saver. I’ll definitely give them another try soon.

​Have you tried meal delivery services? Is there one that you absolutely love that I haven’t included here? Please share with all of us in the Comments section below.

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Author

Kristina Butler is a Certified HR Professional and FT Virtual Recruiter for a major financial services firm. As the working mother of two and the working daughter of aging parents, she understands the importance of landing an opportunity with the ideal compensation and work-life balance.

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